city hall

A group of NYC council members knelt on the steps of City Hall yesterday. The action was a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players who are protesting police brutality and racial injustice in America. Photo by Farnoush Amiri

Donning a black “IAmWithKap” t-shirt under a striped fitted blazer while holding up a red San Francisco 49ers jersey with Colin Kaepernick’s name and number inscribed on the back, Councilman Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn) led a group of council members in a “Kneel In” on the steps of City Hall yesterday morning, just days after President Trump called out demonstrations in the NFL.

The group of about 15 city officials joined together to display unity against the president’s tweets, which called the action of kneeling during the presentation of the National Anthem a “disrespect of our country,” and suggested that the NFL owners should get any “son of a bitch,” who doesn’t stand off the field.

“This here today was a protest,” council member Inez Barron (D-Brooklyn) said. “It was perhaps silent but it speaks volume in the action we are taking.”

This form of protest began back in 2016, when Kaepernick chose to kneel during the National Anthem in protest of the recent rise of police brutality against African-Americans in the US. The now free agent became the league’s unofficial symbol for the cause for police reform and civil rights for minorities.

“Protesting is probably the most American thing that one can do,” Williams said. “It is in fact the only thing that has ever propelled this country to move forward. Everything we have enjoyed from this country has come from protesting.”

Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) speaks to reporters about the importance of understanding the reasoning behind Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players protest and kneeling during the National Anthem. Photo by Farnoush Amiri

The city officials demonstrating the right to protest also brought light to the lack of attention the president is directing toward Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. They said his focus on NFL players’ right to protest is a distraction from more pressing concerns. One council member even alluded to racism being the reason for the president’s hesitation to devote more attention to the Caribbean island.

“The struggle for racial justice, which we are honoring by taking a knee today, is not narrowing about policing because obviously we have systematic racism in our housing, segregation in schooling and now even in our hurricane relief response,” Councilman Brett Lander (D-Brooklyn) said.

Lander, along with Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens,) were just a few of the leaders who showed support for their minority colleagues whose cause they said they are able to empathize with.

“I stand as an ally. Obviously I am not a person of color, but I feel that white people, myself included, need to stand up for this cause and need to remember how it all started, which is an action against police brutality and the experience that people of color experience, oftentimes at the hands of police,” Dromm said to the crowd outside City Hall.

Andy King (D-Bronx,) also believes that the president and others who are not directly affected have an obligation to the ones who are.

“I will ask Donald Trump, live a day in a black man’s shoes, live a day in a Hispanic’s shoes, you’ll have different perspective of the world because you were born with a spoon in your mouth,” King said.

For African American councilmembers, this cause is a personal one, but they know that not unlike the dozens of other civil rights marches and causes that have occurred in this country, this one will also begin and end with the act of nonviolent protest.

“When this started months ago, many of us made it clear that this was not about the flag, this is not about patriotism,” Williams said. “This is about a system of supremacy, a system of oppressive policy that has been around a long time, and many people have tried to use patriotism to stop people from protesting and we’ve said that that will not last.”

Three months since they were first evacuated from their homes, some Hurricane Sandy evacuees are still homeless, displaced and distressed. This afternoon a coalition of the storm’s hardest hit victims, community organizations and advocates gathered for a press conference at the steps of City Hall to voice their pressing concerns over dangerous, unsanitary or unsustainable housing conditions.

Nateisha Laws, 25, of Far Rockaway, Queens, spoke out about the difficulties she has faced as a mother of three residing in various midtown Manhattan hotels after losing her home to the storm.

“Every day is a struggle to obtain affordable food, funds for transportation, even soap and detergent to do laundry,” Laws said. “We are not from Manhattan. We cannot afford this luxurious lifestyle. We’re in this beautiful hotel but cannot afford basic necessities.”

Currently residing at the DoubleTree Suites in midtown Manhattan, Laws said her biggest struggle is sustaining a basic lifestyle as a low-income resident in the affluent neighborhood the city has placed her family in.

“Grocery stores that accept EBT are very few and if they take EBT, it is not for hot meals,” she said referring the food stamps her family depends on. “It’s very cold outside. I want to send my children to school with a warm breakfast and have them come home to a warm dinner. We have a microwave and a refrigerator. No stove to cook on. No groceries to cook.”

Being so far from her home neighborhood has also meant that Laws’ 9-year old son, Isaiah Douglas, has missed weeks of school.

“I want stability,” Douglas said. “I want to be able to go to go to sleep without fearing that another hurricane is going to happen. My heart has a wide hole.”

Many who spoke at the conference expressed disappointment with Red Cross and the city’s elected officials for not working fast enough to give them any stable long-term housing assistance.

Alaster Williams, 43, of Coney Island, Brooklyn, said he had been moved four times to different shelters since Hurricane Sandy, leaving him with no choice but to send his children to live with their grandmother in Connecticut. He feels that help is not forthcoming.

““We get no answers,” he said. “We’ve abandoned by Red Cross, FEMA. It seems like they are non-existent right now. We need housing. We need food. A lot of people need medical help, both physically and mentally. There’s nobody to turn to.”

The organizations representing those displaced, the Coalition for the Homeless, Legal Aid Society, VOCAL-NY, New York Communities for Change, and Legal Services NYC released a plan to be addressed at the hearing that would follow their press conference. Terms included immediate moving people from hotels with hazardous and unsafe conditions to safer places; demands for city officials and the federal government to work together to ensure long-term housing assistance; larger efforts from FEMA to get people out of hotels and into apartments; and more assistance with food and transportation.

Giselle Routhier, Policy Analyst with the Coalition for the Homeless stressed the importance of immediate change.

“It is urgent that the City work rapidly to ensure that people displaced by the storm are guaranteed stable, long-term housing aid and that they are not left to languish in hotels or unsafe settings for months to come,” Routhier said.

George Webb, an Occupy Philly protestor, held his American flag upside down to represent his distress with where America is headed. Photo by Chris Palmer

In New York City, protestors supporting the 4-week-old movement known as Occupy Wall Street have staged student walkouts, marched in solidarity with varying trade unions, and welcomed an array of high-profile guests.

But Occupy Philly, which began four days ago in City Hall’s west plaza to try and replicate the scene in Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park, is still trying to find its sea legs.

“It’s definitely been a process,” said Walbert Young.

Sitting at a table beneath the imposing shadow of City Hall, the 26-year-old Young, of Wayne, Pa., said that there have been positives and negatives about the initial days of the occupation.

On the one hand, as is the case at Occupy Wall Street, a variety of volunteer-staffed committees have been established to cover basic living concerns such as food distribution, blanket and tarp distribution, sanitation and security, and new committees are “popping up every day,” he said.

In addition, the city has supported the movement so far. Mayor Michael Nutter and police commissioner Charles Ramsey have both visited the site. There have been no incidents between protestors and police.

Most importantly, Young said, the number of people visiting the site has steadily increased. At last count there were 96 tents set up at the site – up from 51 two days ago – and he estimated that there have been several hundred people milling around the occupation each of the past few days.

“The numbers are definitely growing,” he said.

Nearly 100 tents have been set up on the western plaza outside Philadelphia's City Hall, as part of the Occupy Philly movement. Photo by Chris Palmer

But on the other hand, the occupation’s organization has been “evoloving,” Young said with a sheepish grin, and some protestors are wary about how the movement has progressed in its first few days.

“I’m seriously concerned for these people,” said Chris Garvey, a 37-year-old Philadelphia resident.

Garvey tried to raise an issue during the general assembly, the twice daily meeting where all protestors can discuss any number of topics related to the occupation, but he stopped talking out of frustration with “the people’s mic,” a tactic that calls for the speaker to speak in short cadences that are repeated by the rest of the meeting’s attendees.

He said that he supports the idea of Occupy Philly, but he’s worried that a lack of structure will hamper the movement.

“I’m here to challenge them, because I think they’re worth it,” he said. “They have a great idea, but I think it takes a lot of time to get people from disparate beliefs to come together.”

Michael Miller of Juniata Park in Northeast Philadelphia, said that the number of beliefs and ideas among protestors was astounding.

“I’ve been hearing (about) so many issues,” he said, noting that he’s discussed issues from political unity to financial reform with fellow protestors.

But the jovial 35-year-old wondered whether the diversity of thought was helpful to the movement’s cause.

“Occupations should focus on one issue to create change,” he said. “What impact are we really going to make?”

Young noted that there have been major disagreements about a variety of questions at Occupy Philly already, including whether the movement should apply for a permit (it did), and he said that there is a small but vocal minority of people with “fringe beliefs” who tend to be rabble rousers, rather than major contributors to the occupation.

“I’m hoping the ‘not-die-hards’ die out,” he said. “I think they’ll realize that this takes work, and once they leave, we can get work done.”

But for some protestors, the expression of diverse opinions is exactly what makes this movement so unique.

“What we’re doing is fundamentally American,” said David Scher, a 23-year-old from South Philadelphia. “This is what democracy is all about, isn’t it?”

“We all have our own opinions and reasons why we’re here,” said George Webb, 39, from Mayfair, in Northeast Philadelphia.

Despite the early challenges facing the occupation, protestors were united in their desire to see the movement succeed.

“I hope this movement stands strong,” said Miller, noting that Occupy Philly has only existed for a few days.

“I’m willing to die in a tent,” he said with a laugh.

And Young, who said the passion of the protestors has been encouraging, expects that the movement will continue to evolve over time.

Vishwasrao, 18, was expelled from high school after suspensions for chewing gum and wearing hats. He would be a freshman in college this semester, but instead he is trying to get his GED. Photo by Kait Richmond.

Nilesh Vishwasrao should be a freshman in college, making new friends and studying English literature. Instead, he is nearly six months behind after being what he calls “pushed out” of high school.

Vishwasrao, 18, of Jackson Heights, Queens, was suspended several times in high school for minor offenses, such as chewing gum or wearing a hat. But when they added up, the guidance counselor called in Vishwasrao’s father.

“He told my Dad that high school wasn’t for me, and that I should just drop out,” he said.

So he did and does not expect to get his GED until next month. Vishwasrao isn’t happy about how he was treated, but he has found a way to have his voice heard. He joined the group Desis Rising Up and Moving, or DRUM, an organization that helps South Asian immigrant workers and families fight against social injustices they face in New York City, and students like Vishwasrao from being pushed out of school.

Yesterday, Vishwarao and about 40 others were chanting, holding up signs and letting City Hall know that disciplinary actions can have negative impacts on the learning environment, and push out discouraged students. They said since the NYPD took over security in the city’s schools in 1998, there have been over 500,000 suspensions. The campaign was part of the Dignity in Schools Campaign protest at City Hall Park. Students rallied with teachers and advocates from organizations around the city.

Event organizer Natalie Havlin, a member of Teachers Unite, said that students put together a proposal for New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly that suggests ways to reduce suspension among minorities. Tuesday was meant to be a kick-off event, where students would deliver a letter with the proposal, and it coincided with DSC’s “Week of Action” that included 28 other cities pushing for similar changes.

Excessive suspensions cause students to fall behind. Minority students suffer the most, according to a 2011 study on the use of suspension in NYC schools. Black students make up 33 percent of the student body, but make up 53 percent of students who were suspended in the last ten years.

Metal detectors are just another part of the day. Another study found that close to 95,000 students have to go through them every day, and schools like these have 48 percent more suspensions than schools that did not install metal detectors.

The students delivered a letter to NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stating that since the NYPD took over security in the city's schools in 1998, there have been over 500,000 suspensions. Photo by Kait Richmond.

“I am a senior at Queens Collegiate High School who feels like a prisoner in prison,” Abeer Ahmed yelled into the microphone.

Ahmed, a DRUM member, grew irritated as he read his speech about his own experiences with the security system.

“When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I say to myself is, ‘Oh great, metal detectors,’” he said.

Students cheered in agreement and waved neon signs with chants like “Whose school? Our school!” written on them.

Chant leaders, mainly students, pumped up the crowd with rhythmic chants that drew in a few outsiders.

Troy Cordice, 17, of the Bronx, said he was not there because anything bad had happened to him – in fact, he bragged about how great his high school was, but he knows that many other students are not as lucky.

“If I don’t do it, who will?” he said.

He said he participates in these events a lot because he’s seen how they can have a real impact.

After six speakers and a theatrical performance of students going through a cardboard metal detector and being patted-down, Cordice and other chant leaders led a march to One Police Plaza, the NYPD headquarters.

In a fenced-off area surrounded by cops securing the sidewalks, the students continued their chants. They presented their demands in a letter to Commissioner Kelly, which suggested retraining the School Safety Officers which is part of the NYPD to better understand the best practices for working with the students, rather than immediately disciplining them.

They marched back to the park, and in one final burst of encouragement, Vishwasrao led the students in a chant while he spun around arm-in-arm with a friend.